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Topic: Individual-Size (Mini) Deep-Dish Pies (Read 7354 times)

I recently purchased a Wilton 4-cup, dark, coated mini-loaf pan designed to bake 4 mini-loaves of bread or cake. I bought it with the thought that it might be useful to make individual-size deep-dish pies. So, I decided to see if that was so.

For this experiment, I decided to use DKM’s recently posted Uno/Malnati style deep-dish dough recipe at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,2403.0.html. For my purposes, I modified DKM’s recipe to include salt. Before using the recipe, however, I had to first determine the thickness factor of DKM’s dough. This was so that I could use that number to determine the amount of dough I would need for my application and also the ingredients I would need. Complicating the matter further was the fact that the four individual mini-pan cavities have trapezoidal sides, whereas DKM’s recipe is for dough for a 13-inch round deep-dish pan. Using my deep-dish spreadsheet, I was able to determine that DKM’s dough had a thickness factor of 0.132. I then applied that thickness factor to the total surface area of the four mini-pie cavities to determine how much dough would be necessary and then, using the baker’s percents I arrived at for DKM’s dough, to calculate the amounts of the individual ingredients that would be required. For those who are interested and are familiar with the use of baker’s percents, I arrived at the following formulation:

The dough was made exactly as DKM instructed, except that I cold fermented the dough for 24 hours after the dough was made. During that time, the dough rose hardly at all. After removing the dough from the refrigerator, I divided it into four equal pieces, flattened them a bit, dusted them with a bit of bench flour, and the covered them with a sheet of plastic wrap. The four dough pieces were left at room temperature for about 2 1/2 hours, during which time the doughs softened and rose slightly. They were then pressed into the four (lightly oiled) pan cavities in the Wilton pan. Apparently my dough calculations were correct because the dough fit the four cavities perfectly without any dough left over. The dough did shrink in the mini-pans, however, but as I discovered later the dough did expand and rise upwardly during baking.

The four individual doughs were dressed using several different ingredients. One of the nice features of the individual mini-pie approach is that each pie can be dressed to order, using different combinations of ingredients. In my case, I used various combinations of sautéed mushrooms, red and green peppers and red onions, pepperoni slices and Italian sausage (uncooked). The sauce was simply 6-in-1 ground tomatoes (drained) and dried oregano. The cheese was slices of Dragone low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella cheese. The tops of the unbaked pies were dusted with a combination of freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Parmesan cheese.

The mini-pies were baked on the middle oven rack position of a 450-degree F preheated oven. The total bake time was around 18 minutes. Part way through the baking of the pies, I found it necessary to cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent the exposed top crusts from browning too much. The photos below show the finished pies. Although the pies are trapezoidal shaped, they are roughly 5” x 3” x 2”.

I decided to sample only one of the pies. It was very good, and just about right for one person. The crust was soft and tender and flavorful, with good coloration. It was not biscuit-like, in the sense that buzz’s crusts are biscuit-like. Overall, I was very satisfied. The DKM recipe is a good one. It’s uncomplicated and simple to make. Next time, I plan to try one of buzz’s deep-dish dough recipes.

Ralph: I don't think the mini's would work out all that well for appetizers. As you know, a deep-dish slice can be quite runny. One approach that I think will work for what you have in mind is a muffin tin. I wouldn't go too little, however. I would try a medium or slightly larger size. One of the things I discovered when I made the mini pies tonight is that it takes longer to press the dough and dress the four pies than it takes to make a single bigger pie. If you made a couple of dozen muffin-pies, it would take a long time just to divide out the dough and then make the appetizers. However, a lot of this work can be done in advance. And the appetizers should be terrific.

Yes, I agree. I used 5 1/2 ounces of flour per cup in accordance with what you stated at your recent thread, along with a dough depth of 1 1/2 inches, to calculate the thickness factor. Next time I will use a lower number and adjust for the fact that the corners in the individual pans need less dough, which I discovered later I didn't take into account in my calculation of total surface area. Also, the dough kept slipping down from the sides of the little pans, which I suspect increased the thickness at the bottom. It's also possible that when I divided the dough into four pieces they proofed faster than a single dough ball would. It will perhaps take a few tries to get everything right.

I read somewhere that using butter, margarine or shortening (e.g., butter-flavored Crisco) in the pan makes it easier to retain the dough and keep it from slipping. I tried it, using butter, and it worked. However, Tom Lehmann says that while you will get a nice flavor addition from using the butter, etc., you will get a crispier, more "fried" effect, using oil in the pan. In the mini pies I used oil since that is what DKM suggested in his recipe. BTW, when I used the butter, I just put dabs of it on the sides of the pan--just enough for the dough to grab onto. Maybe next time I can use dabs of butter (or a smear here and there) plus oil and get some of both effects.

I also think that many of the newer pan coatings are more slippery than their predecessors. Maybe even too slippery. In that respect, an old seasoned steel pan may do a better job.

I use a mixture of evoo, salted butter and garlic (provided you like garlic). I put in a small saucepan and slowly heat it to realease some of the water in the butter. You can tell by the bubbling. When it cools it will have the consistency of vegetable shortening (Crisco). I store it in a container in the fridge and take out a small amounts when needed. I microwave to bring it back to a liquid form.

I also use this when I make pan pizza and frequently use it on freshly baked pies outer crusts (NY style, pan style). 'just brush some on the crust and watch them "bones" disappear!

My wife is out of town so when we talked last night I mentioned the slippery dough on the side of the pans. First she was not happy that I made DKM's recipe without her but I did save her a slice; second, she said in the past she has not oiled the side of the pans and that worked better.

I like the salutary nature of your handle. It has a pleasant ring to it.

I also like your idea. I assume that you use fresh garlic and cook it long enough. Not to scare anyone, but I read that storing fresh garlic in oil can lead to botulism because the garlic is in an anaerobic environment that encourages growth of botulism/clotridium spores. This is an oldie, but see http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00120.html. I know that some pizza operators use fresh garlic in oil but they usually use it up fairly promptly. Or they add lemon juice or other acidic ingredient to kill or disable the offending component. Another way around the problem is to use garlic powder, garlic granules or a garlic spray.

I assume your post is not a posthumous one, so you must be cooking your garlic .

I can verify what Peter says. I used to buy garlic at Costco in a big bottle. It was packed in oil. I used up that jar and won'tever buy it again.

There was a segement on TV last year telling how you can die from eating garlic stored like this. Proper sanitation, and refridgeration is KEY. They also said to make sureyou never double dip your spoon when taking it out of the jar, ( i.e. - if you touch anything, do NOT use this same spoon to goback into the jar and take out more garlic ) and also to put the jar back in the fridge right away after use.

Quite scary indeed, and it's not joke.... garlic like this can kill.

The only thing good about it, is this.... I never found the jarred garlic to even taste like fresh garlic, I could use 2 tablespoons of thestuff in oil, fry it up, and it just never tasted like fresh garlic.

Anyway live and learn. I'm glad you posted that info Peter, I think 90% of the population have no clue about thepotential health risks involved with garlic stored in oil, and that included me until I saw that on TV.

Mark

« Last Edit: January 26, 2006, 10:48:57 AM by canadianbacon »

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Pizzamaker, Rib Smoker, HomeBrewer, there's not enough time for a real job.

You are correct. At first, I thought that the thick crust was as a result of dough slippage or simply trying to convert volume measurements to weights--since this is something I have struggled with many times before in my zeal to convert volume measurements to weights. That may still be true, or at least in part, but when I revisited my calculations of the surface area of the four pan cavities, with their trapezoidal walls, I saw that I failed to take into account the thickness of the dough at the corners of the pan cavities. I did adjust for the fact that the dough on the flat bottom of a pan cavity uses up part of the depth of the pan, just as I do with round pans, but I simply neglected to do the same thing at the corners. I won't know for sure how much this will affect things until I recalculate the surface area and reduce the amount of dough accordingly.

so if for example 32 grams of dough is perfect, then it's just a matter ofgetting the dough into the form correctly and you are on your way ?

I'm assuming however, it will depend on what type of dough you are using,as some will rise more than others. I guess it also depends on how long the doughis allowed to rise once in the pan ?

I may try this tonight for fun, I'll make my simple pizza dough recipe and then use a differentdough weight in the forms, and then see later which one looks the nicest.

If my dough comes out like yours in your images, to me that's total success. I personally love dough, and there's nothing wrong with the ones you made.

If they taste good, then I guess it's not a big deal if they are 2 mm too thick, you can eat 'em and then try again and see if you can get 'em a bit thinner.

I think it's MUCH harder to get a perfect result when using such small forms,they are harder to work with, that I know from making pastry in very small mini-bouche quiche,apple tarts, minced tarts etc. So all in all, I think you done did good

Mark

Logged

Pizzamaker, Rib Smoker, HomeBrewer, there's not enough time for a real job.

I like playing around with numbers and the challenge of figuring things out, including calculating the precise amount of dough I will need to make a particular size crust. Once I get the numbers, I am essentially set for life and I memorialize the numbers (baker's percents, thickness factors, etc.) in a spreadsheet so that I can thereafter be quite lazy and let the spreadsheet do all the number crunching thereafter. I won't do a spreadsheet for the mini-pans but it would certainly be possible if there were a point in doing it. But first I would have to get the numbers right.

I might mention also that I used DKM's flour measurement of 5.5 ounces per cup (avg.) to calculate baker's percents. If you look at a King Arthur bag of all-purpose flour, a cup of flour will calculate out to 4.2 ounces (80 ounces divided by 19 servings). I won't know until my next set of mini-pies whether that differential was a factor or not. It could be any number of things, including those factors you mentioned. My principal objective in making the mini-pies was to see if it would work and whether the pies would be any good. The answer was yes to both.

I like the salutary nature of your handle. It has a pleasant ring to it.

I also like your idea. I assume that you use fresh garlic and cook it long enough. Not to scare anyone, but I read that storing fresh garlic in oil can lead to botulism because the garlic is in an anaerobic environment that encourages growth of botulism/clotridium spores. This is an oldie, but see http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00120.html. I know that some pizza operators use fresh garlic in oil but they usually use it up fairly promptly. Or they add lemon juice or other acidic ingredient to kill or disable the offending component. Another way around the problem is to use garlic powder, garlic granules or a garlic spray.

I assume your post is not a posthumous one, so you must be cooking your garlic .

Peter

Hi Peter,

I just decided to pop out of my casket...Oh, I forgot...I cooked the garlic.

Actually, I would also be concerned with the milk solids in the butter. Even if you got rid of the water, the butter wouldn't be clarified. After I make the mixture, the garlic gets fished out and it goes straight into the fridge. You can still use the garlic on a pizza or a pasta dish.

My wife is out of town so when we talked last night I mentioned the slippery dough on the side of the pans. First she was not happy that I made DKM's recipe without her but I did save her a slice; second, she said in the past she has not oiled the side of the pans and that worked better.

I have never thought about it, but I don't oil the sides. I put the oil in the center of the pan, rotate the pan and cover most of the bottom, the put the dough in the center and pat it out. The dough helps spread the oil.

Over the weekend, I made two more mini deep-dish pizzas using DKM’s Uno’s/Malnati’s recipe. They were made one at a time on two separate occasions. Before making either, I had to first recalculate the surface areas of the deep-dish cavities to compensate for the way dough forms in the corners and the bottom and to then adjust for the amount of dough that I would need to cover that surface area without being too thick. This time, I got it right. Each dough ball weighed 4.6 ounces, and nothing could have been easier to make. Making the dough was a breeze and took only a few minutes.

The doughs for the two pizzas were made as identically as I could except for the fact that the first dough was subjected to only a room temperature fermentation, for about 5-6 hours, whereas the second dough was subjected to a 24-hour cold fermentation in the refrigerator, followed by a 2-hour countertop warm-up.

The way I pre-coated the two mini pans before dressing the pies was also slightly different. For the first pizza, I put dabs of cold butter on the sides of the pans and light olive oil on the bottom. For the second pizza, I used a clarified butter/light olive oil blend recently suggested by Hi Gluten except that I did not use garlic (either dead or alive). Before using, I had refrigerated it so that it would harden and be semi-solid and easier to spread. The butter/oil blend was smeared on both the sides and the bottom of the mini pan. In both cases, I had no problem placing and pressing the dough into the mini pans except that there was a little bit of slippage on the sides when I used the butter/oil blend as it melted as it warmed up.

After dressing, each pizza was baked on the center oven rack position at a pre-heated oven temperature of about 450 degrees F. It took about 16 minutes for each pizza. The exposed upper crust of the first pizza started to brown too soon, as is usually the case with my oven, and I covered it with a piece of aluminum foil to keep it from over-browning. Surprisingly, the exposed top of the crust of the second pizza did not brown as quickly and did not need an aluminum foil tent. When I checked, I saw that the crust for this pizza had browned more than I had expected. Hence the slightly darker color in the photos below.

The first two photos below show the first pizza and the second pair of photos shows the second pizza. If one looks carefully at the crust of the first pizza, it will be noted that the places where the dabs of butter made contact with the dough are lighter than the surrounding areas. By contrast, the crust of the second pizza was uniform in color throughout. Both crusts were thinner than my original mini crusts and also crispier and flakier. The flavors of both crusts were quite good, although I thought the second crust had more flavor--most likely because of the longer dough fermentation time and possibly also because of the use of the butter/oil blend. In the future, unless time is of the essence, I am likely to use the longer fermentation version. And also the butter/oil blend.

One of the nice things about using a multi mini-pan arrangement is that it is very adaptable. It can be used to make just a single mini pie if that is all that is desired, or up to four mini pies, each of which can be dressed differently from any other. And they can be made in advance, they are compact and easy to wrap and store, and, best of all, they are a snap to make.

My next mini pies will most likely use buzz’s latest Giordano-style dough--once I go through the usual ritual of deconstructing it to arrive at the baker’s percents and thickness factor to accommodate my mini pie pan arrangement. Fortunately, the numbers will allow me to make any size deep-dish pie, not just the rectangular mini pies.